Knowing they had to keep up with the Texas Rangers, the Los Angeles Angels made dramatic moves last winter, signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson on the same December day.

Despite those moves, the Angels missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They entered this offseason knowing they had to keep pace with not only the Rangers but also the Oakland A’s. So, the Angels went big again, signing Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125-million contract to bolster their lineup.

Despite what the Nationals have done over the past calendar year, the Angels have fixed their weaknesses and seriously upgraded their offensive firepower heading into the upcoming season. Now, there is no real weakness to be seen.

Baseball's best lineup

When last season began, the Angels lacked two things: Hamilton, obviously, and Mike Trout. Barring anything unfortunate, both will be in their opening-day outfield in 2013.

Trout’s arrival in late April last season—an illness kept him out of the lineup for most of the Cactus League and he began the season at Class AAA—transformed the Angels into a dangerous offensive team and helped Pujols regain the form that eluded him for most of the first month. With Trout atop the order from the start, this lineup shouldn’t get off to another slow start.

With Hamilton, the Angels have assembled the majors’ strongest middle of the order. Hamilton hit 43 homers and drove in 128 runs last season, won a Silver Slugger Award and finished fifth in American League MVP voting. He did all that with the Rangers, so the Angels weakened one of their rivals’ lineups by improving theirs.

Los Angeles is going to hit homers and doubles, and score plenty of runs. That can’t be debated.

Seriously improved bullpen

The relief corps might have been the biggest reason the Angels missed the playoffs in 2012. It blew 22 saves (tied for the most in the AL), its .245 opponents’ batting average against was in the bottom half of the league and its 3.97 ERA was the AL’s third worst.

Knowing the team couldn’t afford to let the bullpen sink it again, general manager Jerry Dipoto went to great lengths to improve it. He signed Ryan Madson, who missed all of last season after Tommy John surgery, to close. His one-year, $3.5 million contract is a great low-risk, high-reward deal.

Dipoto then signed lefthander Sean Burnett, who has been one of the best relievers in the majors over the past three seasons (2.76 ERA, 152-53 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 176 1/3 innings).

Madson and Burnett join Ernesto Frieri, Kevin Jespen and Scott Downs in what is now one of the league’s better-looking bullpens. On paper at least, this major weakness has become a serious strength.

Better-than-believed rotation

At this time last season, the Angels were thought to have one of the best starting rotations ever assembled. But the rotation was struggling by the summer’s end. Now, three-fifths of it is scattered around the rest of the majors.

Replacing Dan Haren, Ervin Santana and Zack Greinke—Greinke was a midseason acquisition—are Jason Vargas, Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton/Jerome Williams. In name recognition only, the former were better than the latter. In reality, the incoming trio was about as productive as Haren, Santana and Greinke last season. Plus, they cost less than half as much.

Critics believe the Angels’ rotation has suffered a big-time hit, but that is partially because Wilson went 13-10 with a 3.83 ERA last season and dropped from elite status. Those final numbers are somewhat misleading when you consider Wilson pitched much of the second half with bone spurs in his left elbow (they have been removed).

They can field, catch and throw

The Angels led the AL and were second in the majors in Defensive Runs Saved (58) and Ultimate Zone Rating (44.3) in 2012, according to Fangraphs.com.

This season, they could be even better.

The infield remains intact and Alberto Callaspo should play a full season at third base now that the Mark Trumbo experiment has been scrapped. Having three legitimate center fielders manning the outfield also will help. Hamilton, Trout and Peter Bourjos all have the chops to play in the middle. Good luck hitting a gap against these guys.

On top of all that, the Angels have a respected manager who has won a World Series in Mike Scioscia.

It is no secret why Las Vegas sports books, fans and analysts rank the Angels among the World Series favorites. This team doesn’t have any real flaws on paper. That obviously will change over the course of 162 games, but this is the team built to win it all now.